Khamhara
Khamhara is a titanic supercontinent that dominates the centre of any world map. Located north-west of Akreiyna, Khamhara stretches from temperate regions in the south of the world, to cool temperate regions in the north. Due to its enormous size, Khamhara is generally divided into three huge regions: Near Khamhara, that part of the supercontinent that is also part of the Elderlands, so mainly the southern desert regions; Middle Khamhara, the vast westward sweep of the supercontinent, a land that the Elderlands still had some loose contact with, but was far removed from the consciousness of the average person from the Elderlands, including the High Desert, Sankre, Khuranima and the Sarengadi; and Deep Khamhara, which is occasionally also considered part of the Aurient, the reaches of the supercontinent too far from the Elderlands to have influenced its history: that is, the enormous expanse of Volkhan, the Marashamgiri, and Casan. Cultural Groups in Khamhara Near Khamhara Alahim - 9 The Alahim are by far the largest cultural group in the eastern areas of Khamhara, with their range extending from the east coast of the continent, to the foothills of the Vajimear in a vast curve. Weida - 15 The Weida: 'mountain people', live in the Vajimear, especially along the tropical northern coast, in the eastern areas of Khamhara. Bak - 2 The Bak are largely nomadic tribespeople, populating the vast expanse of the Salandrasar east of Sarakhamon. Salandim - 3 In recent times the Salandim have become the most powerful of the Khamharan races, taking control over much of Near Khamhara in the kingdoms, sultanates and caliphates that comprise the Salandim Union. Historically, the Salandim peoples are endemic to the peninsula of Shem, but they have expanded at an alarming rate in the past few hundred years. Kashi - 8 Although Kashi peoples are in truth made up of several different sub-cultures, their homelands in Perem'Kash are generally considered to be part of Vaut and the Aurient rather than Khamhara, due to the color of their skin and the harshness of their language, which seems to be descended from Qi Doi or Vauti languages, rather than those of the Khamharan peoples. Salasjau - 1 The Salasjau are an offshoot of Salandim culture, almost totally dominated by their neighbours to the south. They are similar in many ways to the Bak, and some sources consider them little more than the sedentary cousins of the desert nomads. Fuqquyad - 16 The Fuqquyad peoples are the only race in western Near Khamhara who have truly resisted the inexorable expansion of the Salandim. Although they were driven eastward by the rising power of their neighbours, the Fuqquyad have carved out a nation for themselves, on the eastern side of Sarakhamon, and resist the almost constant attacks from Imperial forces with admirable prowess. The fortresses and defences of Fuqquyad, which defend the lands to the east of Synd, are held in awe by the Salandim Union, and the skilled soldiers of that country are greatly respected. Middle Khamhara Peimead - 5 The peoples of the Peimead seacoast have always been known as great sailors, although hardly comparable with the seamen of the Gundin in the North. They dominated Middle Khamhara in the early days of trade with the Elderlands, and after setting up colonies on the coast of the Viridium they facilitated a huge amount of commerce from Casan through their cities in Khuranima and Wasi-Timera then south to Shem, where they were traded onward to Akreiyna and even farther afield. Sankred - 4 The Sankred are the only race in Middle Khamhara who can compete with the Peimead as the dominant traders of the area. Their people are fractured into various small trading states - cartels, almost - and in constant competition with one another for profit, although they invariably support one another in external matters. Aldrai - 12 The Aldrai were once extremely prolific, and ranged across both the Serangadi and the steppes to the north, but the continuous war of the Buanat tribes, and the ceaseless waves of nomadic warriors that pour southward out of Volkhan has decimated their numbers, forcing them to retreat further and further into the mountains. Now, the Aldrai are a small, sedentary race, surviving mostly off farming in the poor soils of the upland savanna. Buanat - 11 The Buanat are the most warlike of the Serangadi tribes, frequently being recruited as mercenaries into the armies of other nations. Perhaps the most well known example of this are the hugely feared Khazjima infantry that fight as shock troops in the front lines of Arrian armies; most, if not all of them are mercenaries from among the Buanat tribes. Buanat don't wage war for no reason, however: a village overrun by their warriors will be torn to the ground, stripped of all valuables, which will be sold to traders in Khuranima, and the able-bodied population will be taken to market as slaves. Xhola - 10 The Xhola, or 'boat people' are the most wide-ranging of the Serangadi's nomads, constantly moving by reedboat along the various waterways of the area. In ancient times, the Xhola traded extensively with Auriental peoples in the east and Peimead or Sankred traders in the west, but with the great advances in shipping technology, the transportation of goods afforded by the Xhola has become unimportant, and the same traders take different routes to meet directly and cut costs. Deep Khamhara Volkhani - 6 The Volkhani ﻿nomads, 'barbarians' as they are often called by Qi Doi and Casani scholars, are an ancient and complex race, well known for sweeping southward in great hordes, killing, looting and generally wreaking havoc. The Volkhani are divided into two major groups depending on their physical location on the steppe - there are lowlanders and highlanders, as well as the sedentary peoples who live along the massive rivers of that land, most of whom are distantly descended from Gundin stock. Because Volkhan is generally considerd to be part of the Aurient, it's inhabitants will not be explored here. Casani - 7 The lands of Casan are also considered part of the Aurient, and the people of that peninsula have had little to no effect on the history of Khamhara, so they will also be explored in a more appropriate place. Khamharan peoples have been aware of the Casani for a very long time, however, and many myths have grown up around them. Giri - 14 The sedentary tribespeople of the Marashamgiri, a semi-tropical stretch of rugged land interspersed with short, fast-flowing rivers and dotted with lakes. The Giri are probably peoples of Casani stock who were displaced by one of the many waves of Volkhani invaders who came south through the mountains, driving the natives before them. Their technology is negligible in comparison to the armies of the Imperium , but they show a remarkable hardiness, and a staunch national spirit, resisting any attempt to subjugate or convert them to the very end. Shamagiri - 13﻿ The Shamagiri are thought to be the descendants of ancient Xhola who were swept out and became lost at sea. They move around the Viridium relatively freely, from Casan to the eastern Peimead cities and out to the islands, then eastward to Perem'Kash to trade Casani spices for obsidian, and back again. With the encroachment of the Imperium (due largely to the Flanking Plan) the Shamagiri have been forced into an increasingly small area, and some have taken to navigating the dangerous waters of the Marashamgiri rivers. Gundin in Khamhara During the massive Gundin expansion in approximately I-800, when Gundin adventurers reached the rich Takmut basin in Khaddara, sailors also ventured eastward, and reached the massive bulk of Volkhan. Gundin peoples sailed up, and settled along, the rivers of Volkhan, and although they have always been a small group, the Gundin peoples of Volkhan, known collectively as the Uhlana (lit. Boat People), have been hugely important at several points in Volkhani history, such as in the early 11th to late 13th centuries, when a state centered on the city of Ulaanam dominated the river trade routes and the most valuable lands of Volkhan for almost three hundred years years. Ulaanam grew out of a coalition of the smaller Uhlana city states, and was therefore largely a Gundin state. Vajhimear The Vajhimear are a mountain range that runs along the south coast of the Viridian Ocean. Because they get the full brunt of the rain-laden winds blowing across the Fuhric and Viridian Oceans, the northern (seaward) slopes of the Vajhimear are extremely fertile and covered with tropical rainforest. Category:Khamhara